Farmers Stay Unbeaten in Home Opener

was a little shaky, but the important thing is they hung tough.”

Lanai jumped out to an early lead in the second set on Friday and was able to stay neck and neck with Molokai until the very end. The Pinelasses tied the score at 8-8 on a long volley full of great defensive plays. From there sophomore Anela Granito-Wallace kept Lanai in the match with some powerful finishes late in the set.

“We had to make some adjustments to try and slow her down as well,” Helm said. “She is a good player, she’s got a lot going for her.”

Molokai was able to pull away down the stretch thanks to strong performances from senior Danna-Lynn Hooper-Juario and junior Kalei Adolpho. Hooper-Juario finished with 7 kills and Adolpho led all scorers for the second week in a row with 16. Kailani Ritte-Camara also added 9 blocks in the match.

“I though Danna had a great game hitting from the outside. She controlled her shots really well and Kalei always plays great,” Helm said.

The third set featured another long service streak, but this time it was sophomore Kalei Vaivai leading the charge. She picked up two aces on her way to 11 straight points, puting the game away for good. Helm said he was impressed with the sophomore’s play, especially on defense.

The team looked sharp of Friday, committing only four errors by Helm’s count. After giving up almost 45 errors on Maui last weekend, the team worked hard to improve their communication and get rid of their mistakes.

“We went to Maui and we made a lot of errors. We kind of worked on being more disciplined through the week. So, the working hard really did pay off,” Adolpho said.

Adolpho followed up her performance with eight kills on Saturday, which was second behind Vaivai, who finished with nine. Senior Nailikea Ahuna-Kaai also picked up 20 assists in the match.

The Farmers will be back in the Barn this weekend for another doubleheader against Kihei. Matches are scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday night and noon on Saturday.